Behavioral Health Clinician III
About The Position
The Behavioral Health Clinician III (LCSW, LMFT, or LPCC) serves as a frontline clinician at the Behavioral Health Crisis Walk-In Center (CWIC) on the behavioral health campus of Riverside University Health System in Indio, California. The center provides 24/7 voluntary walk-in crisis services for adults and children age five and older, serving up to 20 youth and adult patients at a time. The clinician provides rapid assessment, crisis intervention, therapeutic engagement, care coordination, discharge planning, and short-term stabilization for youth, adults, and families experiencing acute behavioral health needs, including standalone and co-occurring mental health and substance use challenges. In addition to clinical care, this role provides clinical supervision to Behavioral Health Clinician I associate registrants working toward California BBS licensure. When assigned, the clinician serves as the highest-level Behavioral Health Clinician on shift, coordinating with the Lead RN, Advanced Practice Provider, and Site Director(s). The clinician works with an interdisciplinary team and clinical leadership to help patients stabilize, engage personal and community supports, and transition safely to ongoing care. The position requires working 12-hour shifts and meeting minimum availability expectations for daytime, overnight, weekend, and holiday shifts.
Requirements
- Active LCSW, LMFT, or LPCC license in good standing with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS).
- Meets California BBS requirements to supervise ASW, AMFT, and APCC registrants, including completion of required supervisor training.
- At least 3 years of experience providing behavioral health services, crisis intervention, or counseling.
- Experience supporting individuals in acute distress, including mental health crises and/or substance use challenges.
- Strong crisis de-escalation, assessment, and stabilization skills.
- Experience with care coordination and discharge planning.
- Experience working with an electronic health record (EHR).
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-acuity environment.
- Excellent communication, organization, and teamwork skills.
- Willingness to work 12-hour shifts and meet minimum availability expectations for daytime, overnight, weekend, and holiday shifts.
- Ability to meet WEA’s Occupational Health Clearance requirements upon conditional offer.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in crisis settings such as a crisis walk-in center, crisis stabilization unit (CSU), emergency department, urgent care, or community crisis program.
- Experience working with youth and family systems.
- Experience supporting individuals with co-occurring (dual diagnosis) conditions.
- Prior experience formally supervising or mentoring clinical staff.
- Bilingual English/Spanish (strongly preferred).
- Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act / 5150 designation in Riverside County.
- Familiarity with Coachella Valley community mental health and social service resources.
Responsibilities
- Conduct timely, comprehensive behavioral health assessments for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults.
- Perform suicide and safety risk assessments and develop plans to support appropriate care and safe discharge.
- Provide crisis counseling, emotional support, and developmentally appropriate therapeutic interventions.
- Support rapid stabilization using short-term, solution-focused care approaches; monitor progress and adjust interventions as needed.
- Engage family members and caregivers to promote safety, stabilization, and continuity of care.
- Support people with co-occurring mental health and substance use concerns through early intervention, psychoeducation, and care linkage.
- Develop individualized safety and transition plans aligned with patient needs.
- Coordinate referrals and warm handoffs to outpatient mental health services, substance use treatment, youth services, and community resources.
- Coordinate discharge placement to inpatient treatment settings in conjunction with nurses and prescribers.
- Collaborate with peer support specialists, nurses, prescribers, operations staff, and other internal team members.
- Build and maintain relationships with external partners, including schools, social services, hospitals, and crisis response teams.
- Provide weekly clinical supervision to Behavioral Health Clinician I staff (ASW, AMFT, and APCC registrants) pursuing California BBS licensure.
- When assigned, serve as the highest-level Behavioral Health Clinician on shift and act as shift lead in collaboration with the Lead RN, Advanced Practice Provider, and Site Director(s).
- Mentor and provide day-to-day guidance to Behavioral Health Clinician associates and support onboarding of newer clinicians.
- Participate in daily clinical huddles and team-based care coordination; communicate risks and care decisions to clinical leadership and team members.
- Partner with clinical and operational leadership to support patient flow and care delivery.
- Complete timely, accurate, and thorough documentation of assessments, interventions, and care plans; maintain compliance with program requirements, documentation standards, and applicable regulations.
- Communicate professionally with internal and external stakeholders to support continuity of care.
- Build trust with patients and families through empathetic, culturally responsive care; provide education and support during crises.
- Promote patient dignity, autonomy, and engagement in care planning.
- Apply critical thinking and clinical judgment in high-pressure situations and participate in quality improvement efforts and feedback loops.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
